Turnbull to quit Parliament as Liberals race to replace former prime minister

By David Crowe, Alexandra Smith & Jenny Noyes

August 27, 2018 — 6.43pm

Malcolm Turnbull has told senior Liberal colleagues he will quit federal Parliament on Friday, starting a race among aspiring candidates to replace the former prime minister.

"I've had a great team in federal Parliament and a great team here at Wentworth," the former prime minister told a party gathering at Easts Rugby club on Monday night.

"But as you know, my prime ministership has come to an end. The circumstances have appalled most Australians but again, I won't labour the point.

New order: Former prime minister Malcolm Turnbull with NSW party president Philip Ruddock on Monday night.Credit:James Alcock

"I have a strong view which I've made very clear publicly so it comes as no surprise, that former prime ministers are best out of parliament not in it, and I think recent events best underline the value of that observation. And so, accordingly, on Friday, I will resign from the House of Representatives."

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Mr Turnbull said he would send a letter to his community on Tuesday to let them know of his decision.

“I don’t want to dwell on the shocking and shameful events of the last week, a pointless week of madness that disgraced our parliament and appalled our nation,” he told the group, according to one of those present.

Mr Turnbull thanked the party and his supporters for giving him the honour of representing Wentworth for 14 years and his time as a minister and prime minister.

“Everything I have achieved for Australia in public life has been due to you, build on the foundation of this community, which Lucy and I love and where we have always lived,” he said.

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

Fairfax Media understands the resignation would set up October 6 as a potential date for a byelection in Mr Turnbull's seat of Wentworth in eastern Sydney, amid signs of a ferocious swing against the Liberals that could put the seat at risk.

The date of the byelection is out of Mr Turnbull’s control, given it will be set by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tony Smith.

The Liberal Party's NSW division is expected to launch a call for candidates as soon as Tuesday with less than one week for aspiring politicians to put their names forward to meet the tight deadline for a byelection.

The Liberal state executive is holding a ballot by email on whether to call for nominations, with a deadline of 8am on Tuesday to determine if the preselection goes ahead over the next week.

Those in the running include Christine Forster, a well-known Liberal councillor in Sydney and the sister of former prime minister Tony Abbott, as well as former diplomat Dave Sharma, who was the Australian ambassador to Israel before moving to the private sector.

Players in the battle for Wentworth: City of Sydney councillor Christine Forster and former Israel ambassador Dave Sharma.Credit:Lousie Kennerley, Howard Moffat/AUSPIC

A key figure in the 'Yes' campaign on same-sex marriage, Andrew Bragg, is also rumoured to be in the running and has support from many of the Liberal MPs who spoke up for marriage equality during the plebiscite conducted last year.

Mr Bragg, an advocate for modern campaigning tactics during the marriage debate and his time as an adviser at the Business Council of Australia, stepped in to run the Liberal Party's federal secretariat after the last election before Andrew Hirst was appointed federal director.

Mr Turnbull pushed out former Liberal MP Peter King in 2004 and has widened his margin in Wentworth over the years, winning it with 67.7 per cent of the two-party vote at the last election.

Several Liberal sources said Mr King had told party members at the Liberal Party state council meeting in Nelson Bay on the weekend that he had the support of some branches in Wentworth.

Andrew Bragg, who ran the Liberals' 'Yes' campaign in the marriage plebiscite, and Kerry Phelps, who may be running as an independent.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has put his MPs on alert for an early election and took steps on Monday to counter any move to install former foreign minister Julie Bishop as Governor-General.

Mr Shorten wrote to Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Monday to ask him to extend the tenure of the current Governor-General, Peter Cosgrove, beyond the next election so that the choice of his replacement would be delayed.

“They’ve got rocks in their head if they think we’ll support Julie Bishop for Governor-General,” said a Labor source.

A Fairfax-Ipsos poll last week showed a powerful swing against the Liberals across the country in the wake of the internal warfare over energy policy, a trend confirmed by a Newspoll published on Monday showing the government trailed Labor by 44 to 56 per cent on a two-party basis.

Illustration: Matt Golding

The crisis over the leadership of the government has fuelled speculation that independent candidates could snare Wentworth from the Liberals, with former Australian Medical Association president Kerryn Phelps considering whether to run.

Ms Forster confirmed on Monday she would be a candidate in the preselection but a senior Liberal source said that while Ms Forster was "well liked by senior moderates", her family connections could be problematic in a byelection.

"She is an Abbott and how does that play in a Wentworth byelection? Not well I would suggest," the source said.